Let’s celebrate Mitsuishi Kotono’s birthday! Who is your favorite character? In the 2020 version, 3rd place goes to Hancock from “One Piece”, 2nd place to Katsuragi Misato from “Evangelion”, and 1st place… Characters from national anime

June 27, Shinjuku Wald 9. Celebrating the Blu-ray release of “Evangelion: 3.33 You Can (Not) Redo”, the updated version of “Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo”, the movie has been screened consecutively along with its sequel “Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time” during a special event. The screening event opened with a greeting from 9 cast members. The event also featured a talk panel in which the cast discussed memorable episodes from the production of "Evangelion: 3.33 You Can (Not) Redo" and "Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time". Ogata Megumi (Ikari Shinji) also delivered a surprise message to the fans. A wedding announcement, and a statement: “I’m taking the secrets to the grave”. What other surprises did the cast share during the talk? [ Event Cast (roles omitted) ] Sakamoto Maaya, Mitsuishi Kotono, Yamaguchi Yuriko, Seki Tomokazu, Iwanaga Tetsuya, Iwao Junko, Nagasawa Miki, Sawashiro Miyuki, Katsu Anri. [ What is “Evangelion: 3.33 You Can (Not) Redo”? ] Premiered on January 2021, “Evangelion: 3.33 You Can (Not) Redo” is an updated version of the movie “Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo” made especially for IMAX theaters. Not only the entire movie was re-edited and processed with high-resolution technology, but most of the film’s color palettes, designs, and scenes were revised in order to meet IMAX quality standards. ■ Appearing for the first time in a Thrice Upon a Time related event At the time of the event (26th Saturday), the movie had surpassed the 9.5 billion box office mark with more than 6.2 million tickets sold. Held amidst this continuously ongoing hype, the screening event featured a talk panel during which the cast smiled non-stop from beginning to end. The talk was delivered under a laid-back atmosphere, conveying a sense of teamwork that was likely nourished through the long hours of hard work in the production of the films. It was the first time for Sakamoto Maaya, Seki Tomokazu, and Sawashiro Miyuki to participate in an event related to “Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time”. Since it had been such a long time standing in front of a crowd, given the circumstance of the current times, Seki was first asked by the MC “Can you see the spectators' faces well?”, to which he answered “Yes I can”. He quickly added “And I also memorized their faces. I memorized.. all of your faces!” while impersonating an evil villain voice, making the audience laugh, and relieving the tension for the rest of the cast. Playing new characters who only appeared in the recent films, Sakamoto Maaya and Sawashiro Miyuki behaved more reserved among the cast who have been involved with the franchise since the TV anime. They expressed how happy they were to be able to take part in this event, also lamenting not being able to participate in an early stage event held on March 28 along with the rest of the crew, remembering how sad they felt looking at the photos from the event they missed on the cast’s LINE app chat group. ■ Audition Stories from Sawashiro Miyuki and Katsu Anri. The characters Tama Hideki, and Suzuhara Sakura, played respectively by Katsu Anri, and Sawashiro Miyuki, appeared for the first time on “Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo”. Among some secret stories behind their audition, Katsu Anri first revealed that he was happy simply by the fact that he was able to take the audition. And that’s because Katsu himself had been a fan of the “Evangelion” series since high school. He recalled screaming out loud enthusiastically in public, despite being outdoors, after being told he got approved for the role. Sawashiro Miyuki made mention to the director Tsurumaki Kazuya, whose job was to scoop up Anno Hideaki’s complex vision behind each scene and summarize it to the voice cast. She was surprised by the depth of his explanations and analysis from the storyboard. The audience listened carefully to her accounts which displayed the complexity of the narrative, unique to a series enigmatic as “Evangelion”. ■Taking “Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo” Secrets to the Grave Sakamoto Maaya was nervous and charmingly ended up hitting the microphone against her own mouth as she proceeded to say that during the recordings Anno Hideaki told her secrets regarding her character, Mari. But on a fragmented basis, pushing her to interpret the character in an ad-lib fashion. She also mentioned being apprehensive during interviews, worrying about which information she could let out. Mitsuishi Kotono who was sitting next to Sakamoto listened curiously as she revealed further that there are secrets that she cannot speak of without Anno’s permission. Seki Tomokazu then joked “Watch out, the journalists are on alert just waiting for you to slip up.” inviting a surge of laughter, which was quickly turned into silence by Sakamoto’s words “I can never, ever, speak about it. I’m taking it to the grave if I must”. Among the anecdotes, she also pointed out a particular direction order from Anno Hideaki, which was to keep in mind and try to emulate the comedian Kariya Chosuke’s catchphrase “Let’s move on”. Such a peculiar instruction really stood out, said Sakamoto. Mitsuishi Kotono explained why “Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo” takes place 14 years after the events of the previous movie: According to Anno Hideaki, it was to match the actual age of the voice performers to the characters. However, this led to a debate among the cast about how this must actually be a joke from the chief director. In the end, nobody really could tell the real reason behind the decision. Yamaguchi Yuriko spoke about how deeply affected she was by the heaviness of the plot in the 14 years later setting. She mentioned not being able to cope with reality after the recording sessions, having to sneak into the restroom to cry. Releasing the emotions made her feel better, however, since the voice recording took place while the animation wasn’t complete yet, she had to use her imagination to supplement the visuals. So the whole process left a profound impact on her emotionally. Nagasawa Miki talked about how important her Evangelion-themed nail polish was to her voice acting. Having her nails in the same colors as the waves in the poster, as well as Ritsuko’s earrings, helped her portray the more intricate personality nuances of Maya, as it served as a reminder of what her character cared about the most. ■ Suzuhara Toji and Horaki Hikari Marriage The talk session for “Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time” started with a wedding announcement between the characters Toji and Hikari, to which the audiences reacted with a round of applause. Hikari’s voice actress Iwao Junko was overjoyed by the fact that her character got to marry Toji, for whom she had feelings towards since middle school, also having a baby together called “Tsubame”. Seki Tomokazu who played Toji, mentioned during an encounter with Iwao in a different context outside of the film production, talking about Toji, and how she was ecstatic about the fact that the character had a happy ending in the movies, as opposed to the TV anime series. Afterward, portraying their characters on stage, Toji (Seki) proceeds to make eye contact with Hikari (Iwao) claiming "We are so happy, aren’t we?”. They're interrupted then by Misato (Mitsuishi), “Oh, that's so annoying”, stirring up the audience. Iwanaga Tetsuya explained that his character, Kensuke's role in the movie is to connect other characters. It was thanks to his support that Shinji was able to stand up against Gendou. He was also responsible for relaying information to Misato about Ryoji and Shinji, acting as a bridge between the parties. Iwanaga Tetsuya also opened up about the strong sense of obligation he felt towards helping the character Asuka, who has struggled with loneliness all along. In his performance, Iwanaga incorporated his personal intent of wanting to rescue her. Sakamoto Maaya also spoke about the moments she shared with Miyamura Yuko during the voice recording sessions. So far Sakamoto had been by herself during the movies recording sessions, so it was the first time in a while she had the opportunity to collaborate with another cast member. She was fine by herself at first, since her character Mari, didn’t have a huge impact on the plot during her initial appearances. However, in the final installment, there’s a significant amount of dialogue that connects to the core of the plot. And through working together with Miyamura, Sakamoto was able to build immeasurable chemistry between Mari and the “Asuka” developed through many years by Miyamura. Sawashiro addressed her character in relation to the bond with her brother. She reported that it had been initially planned for Sakura to also speak in the same Kansai dialect as her brother Toji. Yet, that did not pan out. She also disclosed that the message written in the photo that appears in the film was handwritten by Seki himself. Mitsuishi and Yamaguchi discussed about their characters Misato and Ritsuko long partnership. Ritsuko, voiced by Yamaguchi, is a character who has lived an unhappy and troubled life following the same plot as in the TV anime. The only person to which she is able to open up to, and contend with is Misato, as their contrasting personalities complement each other. Yamaguchi elaborated also on the fact that the characters Ritsuko and Misato are deeply intertwined. The actresses expressed how fortunate they were to work together throughout the series, and how sad they were that the film series has reached its completion. They both exchanged thank you cheers on the stage. At the end of the talk, a written message from Ogata Megumi, who voiced Ikari Shinji, was read out loud. In the message were written words of appreciation and gratitude towards the fans who have come all the way to the venue to show their love towards the “Evangelion” franchise. (C)Khara

From "Jujutsu Kaisen" that is currently broadcast, the new cast has been announced as Mitsuishi Kotono and Nakata Joji. We received some comments from them. "Jujutsu Kaisen" is based on a comic that has been serialized in 'Weekly Shonen Jump' (published by Shueisha) since 2018. It depicts a dark fantasy featuring a high school boy Itadori Yuji involved in a battle over a curse after a seal of 'Mamono' was broken. This time, Mitsuishi Kotono and Nakata Joji has been chosen as the new cast. Mitsuishi will play the role of Mei Mei, a self-employed Grade 1 Sorcerer, and Nakata will play the role of Zen'in Naobito, a father of Zen'in Maki and Mai. We received comments from them. The TV anime "Jujutsu Kaisen" is broadcast on Friday at 'Super Animeism' block of a total of 28 MBS/TBS franchised channels. Mei Mei and Zen'in Naobito will appear from episode 17 'Kyoto Sister School Exchange Event - Group Battle 4 -' which is broadcast on February 5, 2021.

Here at Anime! Anime!, we had the same survey as last year asking "Who's your favorite character voiced by Mitsuishi Kotono?". The results are...

July 24th is Telework Day. Telework Day was established in 2017, to ease congestion during the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics and to promote remote work nationwide. The date was set for July 24 since the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony was originally planned for July 24th, 2020. Teleworking has spread due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some might find it harder to communicate remotely or to make a distinction between work and private life. Working from home might not be easy for everyone. So, Anime! Anime! took a reader survey titled “Which character seems to be good at “working remotely?”. We got answers from 105 readers from July 7th to 14th. For gender ratio, there were more answers from female readers since female readers account for 77%, while male readers account for 25%. For the age ratio, we received answers mostly from young readers, the age group under 19 accounts for 50%, and 20’s accounts for 35%. ■ Hard-working Characters Ranked High! 1st Place First place goes to Doppo Kunikida from ‘Bungo Stray Dogs’ with a support rate of 8%. Doppo Kunikida belongs to the superpower association “Buso Tanteisha”. He is the type of person who makes detailed schedules, “He is a perfectionist and a workaholic, so he is capable of working hard remotely as well! ” and “He is always honest, so he will probably volunteer to host the remote meetings. ” His straightforward personality was appreciated and got first place. 2nd Place Second place goes to Kento Nanami from “JUJUTSU KAISEN” . The support rate was 6%. Kento Nanami is a shaman who used to be an office worker. “He will work hard and try to finish his job on time even at home.” and “His experience as an office worker should be useful, but how does a shaman work remotely…?” His honest personality again was the reason for voting. “The movie JUJUTSU KAISEN 0” will be released in December this year. The character from popular anime was ranked high. 3rd Place Third place goes to Hirotaka Nifuji from “Love Is Hard for Otaku”, coming in a close third. Hirotaka Nifuji is an office worker who loves playing games. We got comments from readers, “It’s easy or rather better for him to work remotely, but he will probably play games secretly.” Another character, Tao Kabakura, from “Love is Hard for Otaku” also ranked in 4th place. ■ Here are some other comments!! A comment on Doppo Kannonzaka from “Hypnosis Mic: Division Rap Battle”, “He is an office worker who is too negative usually, but working remotely might work for him!” Other readers commented on Kirito from “Sword Art Online”, “I can imagine him working hard from home, too focused and forgetting to eat”, and “He was active in the virtual reality world, so working remotely should be a piece of cake for him. ” Comment on Hozuki from “Hozuki's Coolheadedness”: “I think that aid will be so efficient on a screen as well.” Comment on Miss Kobayashi from “Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid”: “She is good at her job in the office, so she should be capable of working remotely as well. Tohru will take care of her and Kanna’s cuteness will make her relaxed and more productive.” The survey result shows that hard-working and reliable characters are ranked high. Many characters who have experiences in office work ranked high as well. ■ Top 5 rankings “Which character seems good at working remotely?” 1st Doppo Kunikida from “Bungo Stray Dogs” 2nd Kento Nanami from “JUJUTSU KAISEN” 3rd Hirotaka Nifuji from “Love Is Hard for Otaku” 4th Toru Amuro from “Detective Conan” 4th Taro Kabakura from “Love Is Hard for Otaku” 4th Miss Kobayashi from “Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid” 4th Choe Guseong from “PSYCHO-PASS” 4th Ai Haibara from “Detective Conan” 4th Mary Sera from “Detective Conan” (Answer period : July 7th - 14th 2021) ■ Top 10 rankings “Which character seems good at working remotely?” 1st Doppo Kunikida from “Bungo Stray Dogs” 2nd Kento Nanami from “JUJUTSU KAISEN” 3rd Hirotaka Nifuji from “Love Is Hard for Otaku” 4th Toru Amuro from “Detective Conan” 4th Taro Kabakura from “Love Is Hard for Otaku” 4th Miss Kobayashi from “Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid” 4th Choe Guseong from “PSYCHO-PASS” 4th Ai Haibara from “Detective Conan” 4th Mary Sera from “Detective Conan” 10th Izaya Orihara from “DURARARA!!” 10th Doppo Kannonzaka from “Hypnosis Mic：Division Rap Battle” 10th Nobuchika Ginoza from “PSYCHO-PASS” 10th Gintoki Sakata from “Gintama” 10th Akane Tsunemori from “PSYCHO-PASS” 10th Toshiro Hijikata from “Gintama” 10th Gentaro Yumeno from “Hypnosis Mic：Division Rap Battle” 10th Kankichi Ryotsu from “KochiKame: Tokyo Beat Cops”　 (Answer period : July 7th - 14th 2021)

July 22 is "Umi no Hi" (Marine Day). Marine Day is a national holiday set in 1996. When it was first established, it was July 20 but since 2003, it was moved to the third Monday in July. In 2021, due to the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympic, the holiday has been moved to July 22, the day before the opening ceremony. Umi is a familiar character name in anime. There are many characters with "Umi/海" in their name, regardless of their gender. So, who's the most popular among them? We at Anime!Anime! conducted the annual survey asking, "Who's the First Character that Comes to Mind with 'Umi/海' in Their Name?" There were 167 votes during the survey period from July 2 to July 9. The gender ratio was 40% male to 60% female with a bit more female voters, and the age range was on the younger side with 45% under 20 and 30% in their 20s. ■"Love Live!" Sonoda Umi tops the list for the fourth year in a row! 1st Place Sonoda Umi tops the list with roughly 22%, keeping her at the top for four consecutive years. "Since she is responsible and trusted by everyone, her name is called a lot and left a strong impression on me. It's a wonderful name that fits her perfectly, as pure and clear as the sea. I also love that her name is not just '海' but '海未'," and "The first character that comes to mind when I hear 'Umi' is Umi-chan. Her airheadedness that sometimes peaks through is so cute," are comments that show how her diligence and the gap between her airheadedness fascinates her fans. 2nd Place Coming in 2nd is Shinkai KanataSouta (深海奏汰) from "Ensemble Stars!" with roughly 7% of the votes, moving him up from last year's 6th place. Shinkai KanataSouta, the idol who loves the ocean and the head of the Marine Biology Club was popular for his slightly unusual personality and received votes such as "I love how he loves the water and tries to jump into the ocean whenever he sees it," and "I have an impression that he's always floating in the water and it's so cute." He is deeply related to the ocean since his family business is an aquarium and his theme color is blue. 3rd Place Umibouzu from "Gintama" takes 3rd place with roughly 6% of the votes, moving him up from last year's 10th place. Umiboouzu is the father of the heroine of the series, Kagura. He received votes such as "He forever cherishes his wife, Kouka, and takes care of his children, Kagura-chan and Kamui-kun. I'm fascinated by his fatherly figure." "Gintama: The Final" being released this year may have helped boost his ranking. ■Here are some comments for other characters! For Kaidou Shun (海藤瞬) from "The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.", "It's funny that he has '海' in his surname but can't swim at all." For Ahagon Umiko from "NEW GAME!", "How she hates being called 'Ahagon' and tries to force people to call her 'Umiko' left a strong impression on me." There were also votes for the latest anime from 2021. For Misakino Kukuru (海咲野くくる) from "The Aquatope on White Sand", "The director deputy of an aquarium in Okinawa. Her appearances like her blue hair remind me of the ocean." For Natsuumi Manatsu from "Tropical-Rouge! Pretty Cure", "Manatsu-chan loves the ocean! I hope she continues to share her energy with us." While regular characters were popular in the 2021 survey, some characters from the latest titles like "Tropical-Rouge! Pretty Cure" and "Jujutsu Kaisen" also made the list. ■Top 20 "Who's the First Character that Comes to Mind with 'Umi/海' in Their Name?" 1. Sonoda Umi "Love Live!" 2. Shinkai KanataFukami Souta (深海奏汰) "Ensemble Stars!" 3. Umibouzu "Gintama" 4. Kaidou Shun (海藤瞬) "The Disastrous Life of Saiki K." 5. Shiodome Miuna (潮留美海) "Nagi-Asu: A Lull in the Sea" 5. Natsuumi Manatsu / Cure Summer "Tropical-Rouge! Pretty Cure" 7. Umino Iruka "Naruto" 8. Hoshiumi Kourai "Haikyuu!!" 9. Nanami Kento (七海建人) "Jujutsu Kaisen" 10. Tsunami Jousuke (綱海条介) "Inazuma Eleven" 11. Kaiba Seto (海馬瀬人) "Yu-Gi-Oh!" 12. Fuzuki Kai (文月海) "Tsukiuta. The ANIMATION" 13. Ahagon Umiko "NEW GAME!" 13. Ichinose Kai (一ノ瀬海) "Forest of Piano" 13. Kaiou Michiru (海王みちる) / Sailor Neptune "Sailor Moon" 16. Ryuuzaki Umi "Magic Knight Rayearth" 17. Detective Dolphin (Umino Dozaemon) "KochiKame: Tokyo Beat Cops" 17. Nanami Haruka (七海春歌) "Uta no Prince-sama" 17. Hondou Hidemi (本堂瑛海) "Detective Conan" 17. Matsuzaki Umi "From Up on Poppy Hill" (Survey Period: July 2 - July 9, 2021) *This survey was held to investigate the readers' "interests and attention towards current anime titles and characters". The results should not be used to determine the supremacy of characters and titles. We hope this article will help you find new anime/characters and deepen your understanding of them.

July 20 is "T-shirt day". It comes from T being the 20th alphabet and that July 20 used to be the day of the sea. T-shirts, perfect for everyday wear, are a familiar item for characters from anime and games. Some wear weird T-shirts, some have episodes related to T-shirts, and some even have T-shirts as their merchandise. We at Anime!Anime! conducted a survey asking, "Which Character Reminds You of a 'T-shirt'?" There were 93 votes during the survey period from July 1 to July 8. The voters were mainly female with a gender ratio of 70% female to 30% male, and the age range was on the younger side with 50% under 20 and 25% in their 20s. ■Characters who wear T-shirts with letters dominated the list! 1st Place Midoriya Izuku from "My Hero Academia" topped the list with roughly 30% of the votes. He received many votes for wearing unique T-shirts and received comments like, "He always wears T-shirts with strange letters. The T-shirt that said 'T-shirt' left a strong impression on me," "He has a unique sense of fashion with T-shirts that have words like 'Sheets'," and "I always look forward to checking out what he wears. His T-shirts were made into merchandise, which I would love to buy...!" 2nd Place Coming in 2nd was Nishinoya Yuu from "Haikyuu!!" with roughly 10% of the votes. Nishinoya Yuu is a character who wears T-shirts with four-letter idioms and received this comment, "He wears a variety of T-shirts with different four-letter idioms. I looked up their meanings after watching the anime." By the way, Hinata Shouyou, also from Haikyuu!, made it in 8th place. He received a comment pointing out an episode related to T-shirts, "Him buying the same T-shirt as Bokuto-san, which says 'The Way of the Ace' was so cute!". 3rd Place Hirasawa Yui from "K-On!" took 3rd place with roughly 8% of the votes. She also received comments pointing out that she wears T-shirts with weird letters, such as "Her tacky T-shirts with funny words left a strong impression on me!" and "She has many T-shirts with odd words printed on them." Characters who wear T-shirts with letters occupied the top 3 of this survey. ■Here are some comments for other characters! For Kousaka Honoka from "Love Live!", "She often wears a practice outfit with the letter "ほ" from her name." For Jintan from "Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day", "I love how Jintan only has tacky T-shirts with words like, 'Underground People' or 'Freedom'." For Yotsuba Tamaki from "Idolish7", "He always wears a T-shirt that says 'King Pudding'." There were also votes for a nostalgic character, Pyonkichi from "The Gutsy Frog", "He doesn't wear a T-shirt, he is a T-shirt himself. There's no character that better fits this theme!" The top rankings also include several characters wearing T-shirts with unusual letters. The impact of these T-shirts seems to stick in the minds of the fans. ■Top 10 "Which Character Reminds You of a 'T-shirt'?" 1. Midoriya Izuku "My Hero Academia" 2. Nishinoya Yuu "Haikyuu!!" 3. Hirasawa Yui "K-On!" 4. Kousaka Honoka "Love Live!" 4. Jintan "Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day" 6. Ash Lynx "BANANA FISH" 6. Pyonkichi "The Gutsy Frog" 8. Hinata Shouyou "Haikyuu!!" 8. Futaba Anzu "The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls" 8. Yotsuba Tamaki "Idolish7" (Survey Period: July 1 - 8, 2021) *This survey was held to investigate the readers' "interests and attention towards current anime titles and characters". The results should not be used to determine the supremacy of characters and titles. We hope this article will help you find new anime/characters and deepen your understanding of them.

The new project "Di Gi Charat of Reiwa" from "Di Gi Charat", which was broadcast in 1999, has been announced. It is already attracting attention among old fans. The restart of popular anime is always a pleasure for fans. Among Anime!Anime! readers, there are probably many people who want to see some revived titles in the Reiwa period. Therefore, we conducted a reader survey entitled "Which anime would you like to come back in the Reiwa period?" We received responses from 167 people during the survey period from June 30 to July 7. The male-female ratio is about 40% for males and about 60% for females. About 45% of the age group were teens, and about 25% were in their 20s. In addition, the works that were broadcast and produced after Reiwa (after May 1, 2019), the series works that the sequel was broadcast and OVA produced after the start of the Reiwa period, and the works that have already been remade and revived were not applicable. ■ Many masterpieces from manga to original titles have been ranked in! In this survey, votes were gathered for a wide range of titles, but the one that stood out was the title of the original manga. For "Ouran High School Host Club", "I love the original, so I want to see the anime adaptation till the end. The cast from the last release is still very active, so it is possible to gather them all in!" About "Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo", "I was laughing so hard, my stomach hurts. The anime ended in the middle, so I want to see it properly until the end." Readers commented for "Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch", "I think it's a good opportunity because the sequel will be serialized", and "Saturday 8 A.M. frame title. It seems to be compatible with media development as it is a song animation. The completely new anime for the previous project "Tokyo Mew Mew" has also been announced, so I want to check it out!" For "The Kindaichi Case Files", "'37 Year Old' is currently being serialized , but the boy series has been completed. Late night anime may be suitable because there are many horrific things." Since manga is often being animated while it is still publishing, some people commented, "I want to enjoy anime until the end of the work." Of course, the anime original works are also popular. For "Mobile Suit Gundam", "'THE ORIGIN' has been animated in 'Mobile Suit Gundam', but I think it's about time for a full remake of 'First Gundam'." About "Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann", "I realized again what a masterpiece it was by looking at the production materials at the 'Hiroyuki Imaishi's World' exhibition. Next year is the 15th anniversary! To commemorate it, I want to see the characters moving. Even mini anime is fine! " For "Nagi no Asukara", "Among anime titles I watched, all the scenario, characters, and video are the best. I want you to see a sequel." For the "Another" based on the novel, has "Since there are sequels 'Another Episode S' and 'Another 2001' are on sale." For the original game, "Kirby of the Stars", "The anime about Kirby and his friends has a lot of social satire, which was quite radical, so I remember it well." There were also votes for titles such as "Hakuoki" the announcement of new OVA of which during the voting period has been happened. Below is a list of titles that have received multiple votes. It is exciting to wait for what kind of title sequels and remakes would be produced in the future. Please check it out! ■ Titles with multiple votes "The comeback of anime would like to see in the Reiwa period? " "Angel Beats!" "BURN-UP" "D.Gray-man" "NANA" "SLAM DUNK" "Sgt. Frog" "Shirokuma Cafe" "Nisekoi" "Nodame Cantabile" "No game No life" "High school! Kimengumi" "Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo" "Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch" "Magi" "Classroom of the Elite" "Love Llive!" "Assassination Classroom" "Katekyo Hitman REBORN!" "Mobile Suit Gundam" "Rinne of the boundary" "Yona of the Dawn" "Zatch Bell!" "Black Butler" "Ouran high school host club" "Junjo Romantica" "Revolutionary Girl Utena" "Hakuoki" (* New OVA production decided during the survey period) "Kare Kano" "Hyouka" "YuYu Hakusho" "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya" (Response period: June 30, 2021 to July 7, 2021) * This questionnaire is part of a survey of readers' awareness of "current interest in and attention to anime works and characters." Regarding the results, we do not intend to decide the superiority or inferiority of any character or work. We hope that this article will help you to get to know new works and characters, and to deepen your understanding and interest.

“Ani-PASS #14”, featuring Nakamura Shuugo on the front cover and first page special feature, and Ueda Rena on the back cover and ending special feature, will be available at bookstores nationwide from July 28, 2021. "Ani-PASS #14” features Nakamura Shuugo on the cover and in the first page special feature. Nakamura-san will be releasing his 1st album "NATURAL" and 4th single "Kowareta Sekai no Byoushin wa (Broken World's Second Hand)" simultaneously on July 28, his birthday, and will be featured in a 30-page feature with photos full of summer atmosphere. The back cover and ending special feature will be on Ueda Rena, whose new album "Nebula", to be released on August 18, was carefully conceived and produced by her herself. The special feature includes a long interview that delves into the thoughts behind the songs. Also included in the book is a "bound-in artist card" of Nakamura Shuugo and Ueda Rena. "Ani-PASS #14”, priced at 1,430 JPY (including tax), will be available at bookstores nationwide from July 28, 2021. （C）SHINKO MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT CO., LTD.

“SAY YOU TO YOASOBI Tuesday 【Shimono Hiro x Uchida Maaya】#14”, the TV program featuring Shimono Hiro and Uchida Maaya on “Anime LIVE Channel” of the new futuristic “ABEMA”, was broadcast on July 20, 2021. Welcome back ceremony unique to “YOASOBI” was held, and Shimono commented, “I’m back!” and thanks his fans and Uchida, who waited for him. This program was the first episode after Shimono was back. In the opening, the hero show-like title “Welcome Back! Shimotraman” was shown. With the starting line, “I don’t like bad people! I love milk and fried chicken. All humanity should wear glasses! Shimotraman is now back!”, Shimono dressed up as “Shimotraman” appeared in front of the screen and invoked laughter from Uchida and audience. Shimono seemed to suffer from this reckless show, which he wore a red and white hat like an elementary school student and moving while making a flying posture on the meeting desk. Uchida looked at the show and reacted, “What are you doing?”, “What is Shimotraman?”, “Hurry up, come here lol”, while bursting into laghter. After completing “YOASOBI”-like ceremony, Shimono greeted to the fans, “I’m back!” and thanks Uchida and his fans, who waited for his return. During the opening talk, Shimono continued, “I feel like I worked too hard. I reorganized my feeling and cleaned my room at the same time. I cooked sometime, and cooked something that I haven't made for a while, like oyakodon (egg, chicken, vegetable in a bowl filled with rice)”. He seemed to enjoy the recuperation period. The MCs challenged “Buzz x2 Burger Challenge”. This program was about the MCs making an original burger that makes a buzz on SNS on July 20, the burger’s day. They competed on how appealing their burger is, through the voting from the audience. The judges decide the burger not only on how well-looking it is, but also how luxurious can they place it on the plates. They first dressed as the burger shop employees to make them feel real. They started making burgers after “welcoming” the audience to their shop. The staff has ready with not only the popular ingredients, like buns, patties, lettuce, and tomato, but they also ready the abnormal choices, including Imagawa cake, fried Shiitake, and banana. They made their burgers, while eating warm Imagawa cake by saying “We should eat this while it’s hot”. Uchida chose lettuce, pineapple, tomato, cheese, and bacon without hesitation to make a nice burger, and placed all decoration toppings that was available for her. She was ready with a dish filled with food. In contrast, Shimono carefully made his burger with his favourite lettuce, onion and pickles, and neatly adjusting the taste. Shimono’s burger looked not too unique, but he placed half-cut Imagawa cake on the top. His final work was “Shimotraman Burger”, which used Imagawa cake as the horn of an Ultraman. Uchida took pictures and edited with special angles and effects, and her ability to make a “Buzz” was evident. As the result, 70% of the audience voted for Uchida and 30% for Shimono on “which burger can make more buzz on SNS?”, and Uchida proudly commented, “this is the photograph of whom mastered to look appealing on the SNS”. Shimono gave up on competing Uchida after looking at her work. He praised her, “Wow, you are different and unique!”, and “I learned a lot from you” and the winner went to Uchida, who used her camera completely. “SAY YOU TO YOASOBI Tuesday 【Shimono Hiro x Uchida Maaya】#14” is currently available exclusively on “ABEMA PREMIUM” in “ABEMA Video”. On “ABEMA PREMIUM”, “SAY YOU TO YOASOBI Premium【Shimono Hiro x Uchida Maaya】#14” with special movie is also available, so check it out if you are interested. © Abema TV,Inc

"The 16th Seiyuu Awards" is announced. It was also announced that the fans voting on the most active "Voice Actor" of 2021 of their choice, "MVS (Most Valuable Seiyu)" will start on the official website on August 1, 2021. "Seiyuu Awards" is the largest award ceremony in the voice actor industry that awards the active voice actors in that year, and it is held in March every year since 2007. For this award ceremony, the only fans voting category is "MVS (Most Valuable Seiyu)". Kamiya Hiroshi was the "MVS" in the 13th and 14th Seiyuu Awards, but in the 15th Seiyuu Awards, the "MVS" is Shimono Hiro. The announcement on the winners of "The 16th Seiyuu Awards" will be made on March 5, 2022. The voting for the "MVS (Most Valuable Seiyu)" will start on the official website, on August 1, 2021. Also, the applications' period for "Newcomers Audition" that was held since the beginning of this award, will start on September 15. Detailed information is available on the official website.